Journeyman Program

The purpose of the Journeyman Program is to develop the skills of motivated woodworkers who want to master their craft. The emphasis is on traditional hand woodworking skills. Over the course of a year the student will complete a series of projects, including building a traditional workbench and an old-fashioned tool box. They will also build tools to be stored in the box, including a wooden hand plane, a molding scraper, a marking gauge, a scratch awl, and a marking knife. The final project leading to certification as a Pocahontas Woods Journeyman will be building individual pieces of furniture.

The Journeyman Program grew out of the motivation of the participants, who asked our instructors, “What else can you teach me? I want to go beyond the limits of individual short-term classes”, as well as the desire of John Friel and David Blanchard (instructors and program developers) to fill a growing gap between the modern craftsman and the traditional hand tools.

Already we have had the pleasure of watching the program begin to perpetuate itself, as our more experienced woodworkers in the program mentor newcomers to the shop as well as assisting their fellow craftsman.

Current participants in the Journeyman Program are Eric Johnson of Warm Springs, Larry Kearns of Hillsboro, and Ernie Shaw of Marlinton. Anyone interested in joining the program should contact John Friel at 304-799-6985 or info@pocahontaswoods.org.